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Session chair: Prof. Chafik Aloulou, University of Sfax, Sfax (Tunisia) 

Individual contributions

Prof. Mohamed Adam Alimi-  University of Carthage, Carthage (Tunisia)

SocrAItes: Combining Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence to Foster Meaningful Dialogue

SocrAItes is a project that combines philosophy and artificial intelligence to create spaces for meaningful and ethical dialogue. Inspired by the Socratic method, it uses AI not as a replacement for human interaction, but as a companion that encourages people to reflect on questions of identity, ethics, and human values in a digital setting. The idea grew out of my background as an engineering student working on AI in healthcare and education, and my involvement in the Sophia Philosophy Club, where we explore how philosophy can guide everyday life. By bringing these experiences together, SocrAItes shows how digital tools can do more than provide information—they can nurture critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and ethical awareness. At the CIVIS Forum, I hope to present the concept behind SocrAItes, share early prototypes, and open a discussion with participants on how we can design AI systems that truly support human dialogue. I am also eager to explore how African and European universities can work together to develop inclusive and culturally sensitive AI tools that enrich education and strengthen public trust in technology. This contribution fits within HUB 5: Digital and Technological Change, while also touching on HUB 2: Society, Culture, Heritage, by highlighting the role of AI in fostering dialogue across cultures and communities.

Prof. Adel Alimi-  University of Sfax, Sfax (Tunisia)

Building Trustworthy AI for Health: African-European Co-Design of Ethical, Inclusive, and Epidemic-Ready Diagnostic Systems

The THUNDER project—funded under Horizon Europe’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions—embodies a pioneering African-European partnership to co-develop trustworthy, frugal, and context-sensitive AI for healthcare, directly addressing three critical challenges highlighted by the CIVIS Forum. 
 First, by generating privacy-preserving synthetic clinical and omics data through knowledge-guided generative models (e.g., RAG-augmented LLMs fine-tuned on sepsis literature), THUNDER enhances epidemic preparedness in under-resourced and cross-border settings where real patient data is scarce or siloed. 
 Second, to combat health misinformation and rebuild public trust, the project embeds explainability, fairness, and clinical validation into every stage of AI development—ensuring that diagnostic tools are not only accurate but also interpretable by clinicians and acceptable to diverse communities. 
Third, THUNDER operationalizes ethical AI co-design through a transcontinental consortium that includes academic institutions (e.g., ENIS in Tunisia, UVSQ in France), hospitals (AP-HP, LMU, FIISC), SMEs (B&AI, REVELIA), and legal experts (University of Vienna). This structure guarantees that AI solutions respect both GDPR and African data sovereignty frameworks while integrating local clinical workflows and cultural contexts. Central to THUNDER’s approach is the development of frugal-by-design machine learning models—leveraging techniques like few-shot learning, neural architecture search (NAS), and spiking neural networks (SNNs)—to ensure deployability even in low-infrastructure environments. 
All outputs are iteratively validated through real-world sepsis use cases, with a focus on corticosteroid sensitivity prediction, biomarker discovery, and equitable patient profiling. 
 By uniting African and European expertise in AI, medicine, ethics, and policy, THUNDER offers a replicable model for joint, equitable, and socially robust innovation—turning the vision of “From Joint Challenges to Joint Solutions” into actionable reality.

Collective Contribution

Dr. Ruth Cobos, University Autonomous Madrid, Madrid (Spain)

Prof. Emmanuel Ojo, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (South Africa)

Prof. Dimitris Katsianis Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece) online

Dr. Rose Nakasi, Makerere University, Kampala (Uganda) 

Prof. Bridgette Wessels, University of Glasgow, Glasgow (UK).

Exploring Opportunities and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Research and Teaching in the Europe– Africa Alliance

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming research and teaching practices across the globe. The Europe– Africa Alliance presents a unique context for exploring how AI can enhance academic collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovative pedagogical approaches across diverse cultural and institutional landscapes. 

This panel discussion aims to examine the opportunities and challenges associated with integrating AI into research and teaching within the Alliance. Key opportunities include fostering cross- continental collaboration, improving data-driven research methodologies, and enhancing personalized learning experiences. However, challenges such as unequal access to AI technologies, ethical considerations, and differences in digital infrastructure must be carefully addressed. By addressing these aspects, the panel seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of how AI can be leveraged responsibly and effectively to strengthen research and education partnerships between Europe and Africa, ultimately contributing to sustainable academic development and innovation.

Questions for the audience

• What are examples of AI-enhanced teaching practices that could be scaled across universities in the Alliance?
• How can we address unequal access to AI tools, data, and computational resources across regions? 
• In what ways can AI transform research methodologies across disciplines? 
• How do we prepare the next generation of scholars for an AI-driven research and teaching environment?